US Patent:
20130221753, Aug 29, 2013
Inventors:
David Perreault - Brookline MA, US
Robert Pilawa-Podgurski - Cambridge MA, US
Charles Sullivan - West Lebanon NH, US
Alexander Latham - Norwich VT, US
International Classification:
H02M 7/44
Abstract:
High power output may be obtained from a photovoltaic (PV) system by controlling each photovoltaic cell of a solar array individually to operate at its maximum power point. Each cell may have associated power electronics and control circuitry that may be integrated together on a chip which may be advantageously implemented in CMOS, enabling reductions in cost and size. A perturb and observe algorithm may be used to find the maximum power point by measuring the power produced at different operating points, and modifying the operating point in the direction of increased power production. In one aspect, performance of a perturb and observe algorithm may be improved in the presence of noise.